I Thought It Would Be You
by AmorVincitOmnia7e
Summary: It's a strange concept, marriage. I mean, when I thought about it, I always thought of it as a kind of a lifelong contract, allowing one person to annoy you for the rest of your lives. And I could already think of someone who'd been doing that for the past thirteen years of my life.
1. Forced Smiles and a Broken Heart

**_/_**

 ** _It's a strange concept, marriage._**

 ** _With a family as large as mine, I've been surrounded by a fair few in my lifetime, and I've learned that it's not one thing that forms a marriage, it's a thousand little things._**

 ** _Over the years I've watched my Uncle Harry surrender to my Aunt Ginny in the heat of an argument, giving up in order to try and resolve the situation, I've watched my cousin Victoire forgive Teddy time and time again when he comes home late from work, says something that upsets her or forgets an important date._**

 ** _I've seen Albus shape his entire wedding around one of my beautiful best friends Alice, wanting to take a step down from the attention of the press and give her her moment to shine. I've seen my parents, best friends since they were eleven, solidify their friendship within their marriage._**

 ** _My cousin Fred was his wife's biggest cheerleader, going to every single Quidditch game she played in, but also being the only person in the entire world she'd confide in and cry to about the pressures of the media and being in the limelight. My cousin Roxy's husband Danny had stood by her side through every hardship, and she'd returned the favour when his beloved Nana had passed away last year._**

 ** _And my Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur were the definition of endless compassion and love, in more ways than just within their marriage. They were the creators of my crazy, close-knit family; every partner one of us brought home was welcomed into the family with loving arms, to the point where some of the in-laws showed up at the Burrow without their other half, and of course every single one of them received a Weasley jumper every Christmas._**

 ** _I mean, when I thought about it, I always thought of it as a kind of a lifelong contract, allowing one person to annoy you for the rest of your lives. And I could already think of someone who'd been doing that for the past thirteen years of my life._**

* * *

As I felt a light jab on my forearm, I turned my head slightly to the left to see that Roxy had nudged me gently and was smiling at me reassuringly. Across the room, I saw Alice's blonde head nod as she mouthed her support: You've got this.

I breathed in shakily, feeling my throat tighten as a result. As I stood up, putting both hands on the table in front of me and pushing off it, I fought the feeling of bile rising in my body. _Oh Merlin, what if I forgot what I was going to say? What would I do if no one laughed at my jokes?_ I tried to ignore my palms becoming clammy, and smiled at the crowded room. Half of the room was full of people I loved, and the other half was full of blonde strangers I hardly knew. In fact, I hadn't met most of them before they'd turned up this afternoon.

But all of these people had one thing in common at present: they were all looking up at me expectantly, as I was about to deliver one of the most important yet nerve-wracking speeches of my life. To my right sat Scorpius, looking ridiculously attractive, even more so than usual. I'd always told him that grey looked amazing with the silvery eyes he'd inherited from the Malfoys.

"I'd just like to apologise in advance for not being the best here at public speaking. Anyone that's known us for long enough can testify that Scorpius was always more of a chatterbox than I was – just ask our old Hogwarts Professors." I paused as they laughed, taking a deep breath in to reassure myself. _You've got this, Rose._ "And if you think you see me looking down at this piece of paper at any point during this, I'm not actually looking down at my notes – I'm taking a look at the massive glass of champagne I will down once I've finished this speech."

This time I couldn't help but smile as I heard the familiar genuine laughter of the Weasley brood; thank goodness my family took up such a large percentage of the reception tent.

"I've been fortunate enough to call Scorpius my best friend since we were eleven years old and my father warned me not to become "too friendly" with the Malfoy boy and "make sure I beat him in every test."" Scorpius smiled up at me, shaking his head at what he knew was coming next. "Though some of you are wondering how we got past that we eventually met, it's worth taking into consideration that Draco told Scorpius to stay away from "the little redheaded dwarf who would no doubt punch him in the face in third year", just like my mother did to him. I did in fact hit Scorpius in third year, though not because I hated him but because he took the last piece of treacle tart at dinner"

Laughter echoed throughout the room, and I could see both Mum and Draco exchanging grins at one another; my friendship with Scorpius had brought them closer together, Dad and him could even go for a drink without killing one another.

As I began talking about our time at Hogwarts, I could see that a large majority of my family members were all watching me with tears in their eyes; tears of pride I assume. They had always supported my every decision, even though it had taken some time for some of them to feel comfortable about my relationship with Scorpius, they'd become friends with him themselves.

Or perhaps those tears I was seeing in my family's eyes were tears of pity; after all, this was the wedding of the man I was in love with. To another woman.

… okay, maybe I should start from the beginning.


	2. Chapter 1: A Slice of Treacle Tart

**AN: Sorry for the gap in between my writing (with Impossible and this FF), I have no explanation other than university and life getting in the way. But now I've got back into the swing of academics and tomorrow is OFFICIALLY 19 Years Later… so I thought it was necessary to continue this FF with how Rose and Scorpius met.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of these characters. I wish I did though; maybe then I'd be able to afford my own place.**

 **PS: HAPPY 19 YEARS LATER… Albus, Rose and Scorpius' first day at Hogwarts. Wow.**

* * *

 **I Thought It Would Be You…**

 **Chapter 1: A slice of treacle tart**

 _ **September 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **2017: Rose and Scorpius aged 11 years old.**_

 _ **(Rose POV)**_

" _ **Two more cousins in Gryffindor," Roxy said from beside me, shaking her head in disbelief. She turned to grin at me, and Albus, who was sat the other side of me. "Can't wait to owl home, Dad will be so happy."**_

" _ **I kinda want to owl Uncle Ron and pretend Rosie and Albus got sorted into Slytherin," James laughed, his dark brown eyes shining with mischief. He wolfed down a mouthful of roast potatoes, before nudging Fred. "See, Dad would be accepting even if Al was a Slytherin, after all, he was named after one of them. Uncle Ron, however, might die of shock if his golden girl became a snake."**_

" _ **Shut up, James," Dominique snapped, chucking a potato at his head and smirking as he scowled at her. "Uncle Ron loves Rosie, and he'd continue to love her no matter what house she was sorted into. Just let him be happy that she's a Gryffindor with the rest of us."**_

" _ **And thank Merlin, at this point, wouldn't you hate to be the Weasley that ruined the Gryffindor streak?"**_

" _ **No pressure on Hugo and Lil then."**_

" _ **It wouldn't be the end of the world, don't you dare go home for Christmas and start scaring those two before they've even gotten their Hogwarts letters."**_

 _ **I beamed at Albus as slid a slice of treacle tart onto my plate, rolling his eyes at our cousins' bickering. In a family as large as ours, it was natural to get lost amongst the louder cousins, who dominated conversation and thrived off being the centre of attention in any public situation. Then there were the cousins who preferred to lurk in the shadows; the quieter cousins, who didn't mind taking a step back and watching the drama unfold before their eyes. I always believed that I fell under the former and Albus the latter, but it hadn't stopped him being my closest childhood companion.**_

" _ **Thanks, Al," I said, grabbing my spoon and digging into the slice of treacle tart. I'd always had a notorious sweet tooth; my mother would have been furious if she'd known I was opting to eat desserts before I'd even started to eat my dinner, but treacle tart had always been my favourite.**_

 _ **As I chewed enthusiastically, savouring the familiar syrupy taste, I could feel a pair of eyes boring into me, intently watching me as I ate my favourite dessert. I looked up, my blue eyes locking with a pair of unfamiliar grey, the eyes of the boy sat opposite me. It was the same boy my father had pointed out on Platform 9 and ¾. The same boy who'd shocked the entirety of Hogwarts mere minutes ago, when he'd been sorted into Gryffindor. Scorpius Malfoy.**_

 _ **Though he didn't particularly look like he was causing any trouble, as my father had suggested he would. The second he'd caught me looking at him, his gaze had drifted downwards, fixating on the treacle tart on my plate. He looked like a shy, scared first year, the same as any other in the Great Hall. The same way Al and I had been terrified at the thought of being sorted into Slytherin, Scorpius Malfoy had probably wanted nothing more than to burst into tears when the Sorting Hat had tied him to Gryffindor for the next seven years of his life.**_

 _ **I extended my arm, reaching across Albus and grabbing the plate of treacle tart slices, placing it in front of him. His cheeks flushed slightly, his eyes widening in surprise, but he couldn't hide the gratitude in them. "Treacle tart is my favourite too," I said, as means of explanation. I let my lips curl into a smile, nodding encouragingly at him as he remained still and silent. Oh, Scorpius Malfoy was definitely a quiet one, like Albus. "I'm Rose. Rose Weasley."**_

 _ **I'd always been fascinated by the concept of friendship.**_

 _ **Not the actual nature of friendship, but the beginning of a friendship. I once read that the beginning of a friendship, the fact that two people out of the thousands around them can meet and connect and become friends, seems kind of magic. Of course, a Muggle author wrote that, and their definition of magic is anything that seems out of the ordinary, but the point still stands.**_

 _ **It was a slightly strange foundation to a friendship. Both of us liking treacle tart, I mean. But the second I'd introduced myself, he'd lunged forwards, pulling a piece of treacle tart onto his plate. After one mouthful, he summed up the courage to introduce himself to me.**_

" _ **Scorpius."**_

* * *

 _ **2030: Rose and Scorpius, aged 24. Present day.**_

 _The day that changed everything started off just like any other day in the Auror offices._

(Rose POV)

I didn't even bother looking up as I heard the familiar sound of rushed footsteps approaching the office, adjusting my reading glasses on my nose and continuing to skim-read the case files we'd been given. I don't know why I even bothered to come into work half an hour early; my partner was at least half an hour late every other day.

"Shit – sorry, sorry," Scorpius panted apologetically as he ran into the room. I looked up at the sight of my best friend of thirteen years, prepared to scold him for being late as usual, but I felt the frustration dissipate as he placed a chocolate muffin and coffee on my desk. He'd grown at least a foot since our first day at Hogwarts, his voice had dropped several octaves and he'd transformed from a cute little boy to one of the most eligible bachelors of our age. But two things that would never change were Scorpius' hatred for early mornings and his inability to be on time.

"Merlin, Scor," I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief at him. "If you fetching us breakfast every day is the reason you're late, maybe you should just come straight to work." He raised his eyebrow at me, as he began to wolf down his usual breakfast bagel, nodding his head at me. I sighed, taking a bite out of my muffin and groaning blissfully at the chocolatey goodness that filled my mouth. As I looked over, I could see a smirk on his face, and shrugged my shoulders. "Or don't come straight to work. Maybe just wake up 20 minutes earlier."

"The cheek of you, Rose Weasley!" he laughed, picking off a piece of his bagel and throwing it at me. I dodged it, laughing myself, and as I straightened up again, he shook his head in mock-annoyance. "You should be more grateful, young lady. Without me, you'd probably forget to eat most days."

"You're not wrong there," I admitted, picking up my coffee and letting my eyes fall shut as the chai latte ran down my throat. For all his flaws, Scorpius always thought of me when it came to the little everyday things; he brought me breakfast every morning, forced me to take a break to drink or eat when I was stressed and always did a double grocery shop to make sure I had food in my fridge. "Thanks, Scor."

"What are best friends for?" He waved a hand at me dismissively, picking up his own coffee cup, no doubt filled with the disgustingly strong black coffee he loved so much, and gulping some of it down. "Anyway, what have I missed?"

I held a finger up as I downed the rest of my coffee, before turning back to the to-do list I'd written down on the pad of paper I always kept on the corner of my desk. "We are acting as guards when the French Minister and his assistant get a Portkey in for a meeting next week. There have been reports of suspicious activity at Borgin and Burke's. We need to head down and investigate the Dowling case at some point today, just to make sure we haven't missed any clues at the scene of the crime… _oh_ , and there's been reported suspicious activity in Manchester that looks like it might be something similar. Girl was found severely shaken up, and she's been taken to St Mungo's, but she's not able to speak."

If I was relaying this information to anyone else, they'd without a doubt have a clear look of confusion on their face but after thirteen years, Scorpius was used to how quickly I spoke when I was reciting facts. He nodded, scrunching up his nose. "So pretty quiet day in the office then?" I snorted, reaching into my bin and launching a scrunched up ball of paper at him, laughing in disbelief.

"You used to say that being an Auror gave you a bit of an adrenaline rush."

"Maybe I'm just easily thrilled."

"I know, that's why you're not picky when it comes to girls you're shagging."

He stuck his middle finger at me as he saw the smirk on my face, and I couldn't help but double over with laughter. Prior to the pair of us reaching our 20s, Scorpius had been a serial dater; there had been at least two different girls every school year, however once we'd become qualified Aurors, he'd settled for the occasional one-night stand. He'd always claimed I was the only woman he could deal with on a regular basis, something I was particularly proud of. For someone who thrived off excitement and change to admit they liked having me around, especially when that someone was unsentimental as Scorpius, meant a lot.

"Happy to see my top Junior Aurors hard at work."

I shot up as I heard my Uncle Harry's voice, however once I recognised the joking tone of his voice, I lightly brushed muffin crumbs off of my lap, before sitting back on my desk chair. Albus always asked me what his father was like as a boss, but honestly, as bosses came, I wouldn't have asked for one better than my uncle. He was firm but fair, and had never been notoriously strict about what we wore on days we didn't have meetings, so long as we got the job done. And getting the job done was something Scorpius and me were actually decent at. "We're on our way to Knockturn Alley, Uncle Harry, don't you worry. Just finishing up our breakfast."

"I know, I'm just teasing you Rosie," he chuckled. His head turned as he saw a flash of red walk past our open office door and yelled out of it. "OI, RON!"

"Merlin, Harry," my dad said, walking into my office and miming rubbing his ear. "If you wanted to get my attention, you didn't have to yell." "That's not true Dad," I teased, raising my eyebrows at him as I made my way over to the two older men. "Your hearing is bound to start playing up now you've just turned fifty."

My dad's mouth dropped open in apparent shock at my cheek, but he let out a yell of pain as my Uncle Harry thumped his arm. "OW!" "Why don't you bring me breakfast every morning?" Uncle Harry demanded, his lips pursed into a pout. I'd seen James do this same face every time one of us proved him wrong or did something to annoy him, but it was hilarious to watch his father imitate it. Maybe his hair was greying, and his green eyes were significantly lighter than James' brown, but it was difficult to ignore their likeness.

"Are you _joking_ Harry?" my dad yelped, turning to face his best friend of almost four decades. My Grandpa Arthur had often likened our friendships; the same way my dad had welcomed Uncle Harry into his family, I'd welcomed Scorpius. "You _hit_ me because I didn't bring you breakfast? You basically lived at the Burrow with me when we started working here! Mum didn't cook for everyone until _after_ our shift started."

"Scorpius practically lives at Rose's!"

"They have their separate apartments though, Harry."

"In a way that makes it worse that you don't."  
"How does it?"

"Scorpius and Rose live a two-minute walk away from one another, same as we do."

"Yes, Harry. And your point please?"

"He goes out of his way to bring her breakfast every morning!"

" _But_ he wakes up a good half hour after her, and lives above a bakery."

"That… that is true."

My head rapidly turned between the two as they I watched the pair of them playfully bicker, I couldn't help but hope that Scorpius and I would be the same in twenty-six years. He wasn't even trying to disguise his laughter at the defeated look on my Uncle Harry's face. "Don't be jealous that my best friend is better than yours, Uncle Harry," I laughed, swivelling my chair slightly and taking another bite of my muffin.

Uncle Harry laughed, the way his green eyes twinkled as he did so reminding me of Albus, and my dad stepped into my office, closing the distance between us. His hand darted out quickly, stealing the chocolate muffin from out of my grasp and smirking at me as I cried out in protest. "Dad!"

"I am taking this because you are being an awful daughter and insulting your old man," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, bending down to kiss the top of my head. He turned to Scorpius, winking at my best friend. "Make sure to be extra annoying today, Scorpius. Wind her up, insult her, the lot." Scorpius laughed, pretending to salute at him. "My pleasure, Sir."

"We'd better get a move on, Harry," Dad said, walking back to the doorway and hooking an arm around his best friend's neck. "Let's leave these two to it. I trust Scorpius will annoy Rosie enough." I could hear their hearty laughs echoing through the hallway, even as they walked into the own office.

"Come on, loser," I said, leaning over and thumping Scorpius. He groaned and I grabbed my coffee, downing the rest of it and rising from my desk chair. "Let's Side-Apparate to Hogsmeade." Scorpius pointed at his half-eaten bagel, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. In all the years I'd known him, Scorpius had always procrastinated relentlessly; annoyingly, he was blessed with natural intelligence, so exams and essays came easily to him, yet he would always put them off until the last minute. I walked over to him as he took a bite of his bagel, shoving the entirety of it into his mouth and smirking as he spluttered. "Now you're done."

He choked slightly, before pausing and swallowing it whole, standing up and taking my hand. "I hate you."

I couldn't help but smile, knowing that what he was saying was a complete lie. "Your life probably would've been a lot less boring if you did."

* * *

(Third Person POV)

"You sure you don't mind if I leave a bit earlier?" Scorpius said, turning back to look at Rose. Her reading glasses were sliding down her nose slightly as she read over the incident files they'd written about the girl who had been found mute and collapsed in Manchester, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he gazed fondly at his best friend.

Their relationship had always been confusing: throughout his adolescence, he'd been convinced they were going to end up together one day. Throughout their seven years at Hogwarts, they'd dated other people and hadn't ever drunkenly kissed. But there'd been the endless late night conversations by the Gryffindor fireplace or sneaking into one another's beds even before they were Head Boy and Head Girl. Rose was a figure all his past girlfriends had been intimidated by, and though he'd been irritated at the time, he could understand their reasoning now. His best friend was beautiful, smart and could make him laugh ten times more than any of his ex-girlfriends could, something that had probably confirmed his underlying feelings for her. Though he wouldn't ever admit that out loud.

Rose waved her hand dismissively, tossing her long red waves over her shoulder and looking down at the paperwork in her hand. "Please, go ahead. I'm used to covering you." "Hey," he whined, walking up behind her and kissing the top of her head affectionately, the same way he always did. She could feel his lips curled into a frown against her head as he grumbled. "That's not fair. I don't usually leave early."

"I'm joking Scor," she laughed, smiling up at me, her big hazel eyes lighting up the way they always did when she was amused. "I know how your grandparents get when you're late. Send my love to everyone. If you leave the Manor late, I'll just see you tomorrow morning."

"Dad said Grandfather Lucius had something _important_ to discuss with me," Scorpius sighed, straightening his tie and making sure there were no creases in his dress shirt. His Grandfather was always looking for ways to criticise his only grandson, so different to his fun-loving Pops, Astoria's father, who'd done nothing but spoil Scorpius since he'd been born twenty-four years ago. "So I guess I'll just have to see you bright and early tomorrow, Rosie."

"You mean half an hour late."

"You know me so well."

* * *

"Master Scorpius, your family are in the West Wing dining room. Welcome back, Sir. We miss you here."

"Thanks Evie," Scorpius said, a soft smile on his face as he addressed his favourite Malfoy Manor House Elf. She curtseyed in front of him, before bowing her head and making her way back to the kitchens. He hadn't had a problem with the House Elf system until he'd gone to Hogwarts and met Rose, whose mother had founded an association for House Elves when she'd been a student, ensuring they receiving minimum wage and were not cruelly abused by their owners. And though he was older and wiser now, and knew that it was still wrong to possess House Elves, he'd always been fond of his. After all, they were his only companions prior to Hogwarts.

As Scorpius walked through the corridors of the Manor, finding his way to the most used dining hall, he couldn't help but find eerie qualities in his childhood home. It had few windows, and did not in any way feel like a home. Every piece of furniture, every chandelier, every ornately framed portrait reeked of decadence and self-indulgence. There were no hand-knitted blankets or macaroni frames like the Burrow, no lightly coloured furniture and natural light like his own apartment. And it certainly lacked the candid family photographs which adorned the walls of Rose's apartment. His parents often asked him if he got lonely living alone, but truth be told, he didn't. He loved them both dearly, and he did make an effort to eat with them at least once a week, but the Manor hadn't felt like his home since he'd come back after his first year. He knew he was expected to move in once he was married, but he couldn't think of anything worse.

"Good evening everyone," Scorpius said as he pushed open the double doors of the dining room. The four adults all turned to look at him, and he felt his stomach lurch as he noticed the nervous smile on his parents' faces. "Scorpius my love, do sit down," his mother said warmly, patting the seat next to her. "We didn't expect you until a bit later."

"Was it a quiet day at the office?" his father asked politely, pouring him a glass of scotch and placing it in front of him. Scorpius glanced at the bottle and resisted the urge to shake his head as he saw the label; of course it was his Grandfather's favourite, imported from New York. Nothing but the best for the fortnightly dinner with his grandparents. "It wasn't too bad," he replied, taking a sip of the scotch and placing it back on the table. "Quite busy but I asked Rose if I could leave a bit early so I wouldn't be late."

"Ah, Rose."

"Lovely girl."

"How is she? We've not seen her for a while."  
"Slacking and leaving work early, boy?"

Scorpius bit the inside of his cheek as he fought himself not to retaliate to his grandfather's comment; Lucius would never be happy with any decision he made. He would have been just as snarky had Scorpius left work at the usual time and showed up to their dinner late. "She's fine," he said, choosing to reply to his grandmother and parents instead and simply ignore Lucius' attempt to rile him up. "She sends her love."

"Please _do_ invite her round soon, Scorpius," Astoria asked, pausing to drink from her wine glass. "I know you two have been awfully busy recently and it's not like when you lived here, but I do enjoy when Rose comes to visit. Just let her know she is always welcome. I only saw her briefly last week in the Ministry, and it was such a shame we couldn't spend more time talking." As the youngest Malfoy opened his mouth to ensure his mother that he would try and bring her along soon, he was cut off by his grandfather.

"Well, not _always_ welcome, Astoria. I doubt this would be a conversation she'd even comprehend, let alone engage in."

Draco glared at his father and Narcissa shook her head at her husband's blunt words; by no means was Lucius as ruthless as he'd been during the Second Wizarding War, but he was still a difficult person to deal with. "Son… we have something to tell you," Draco said hesitantly, and Scorpius knew by the guilt in his father's grey eyes that his intuition had been correct about this dinner.

"You see, dear boy, for centuries, Malfoy men tend to start their family young, and it's been that way for many years," Narcissa said gently, smiling at him to reassure him she wasn't lecturing him; after all, his grandparents had been pushing him to marry a fellow Pureblood for years. "There is a reason we always tried to encourage you to get married early, Scorpius."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows, turning to his grandfather, who, without a doubt, would be willing to elaborate. His grandfather was staring right back at him, his grey eyes colder and more hostile than his or his father's. "Unless you are married by your twenty-fifth birthday, you cannot access any of your inheritance. In fact, you will be disowned."

"W-What?"

Scorpius felt like the room was spinning around him, waves of nausea repeatedly washing over him as the words "disowned" and "inheritance" echoed in his head. Draco placed a reassuring hand on his despaired son's forearm, a pained look on his face. "Son, I know this is probably upsetting –"

"OF COURSE IT'S UPSETTING!" Scorpius yelled, feeling a bit guilty as his father retracted his hand, as his mother flinched beside him. But no matter how guilty he felt, it couldn't compare to how deceived he felt; his parents had known this rule his entire life and hadn't told him he had a deadline to fall in love, no one had told him. "Why wasn't I told about this sooner? Why did NONE OF YOU think it was an important fact I should probably know before it came down to this?"

"Honestly?" Draco said, regret clear in his eyes. He exhaled heavily, knowing it would be a while before Scorpius trusted him again. "We thought you'd be married by now… we had hopes you'd realise you… I mean, we just thought you'd be married by twenty-five. Whether that be to a Pureblood woman or not – OW!"

Scorpius' eyes darted across the table to his grandfather, who had kicked his father under the table to shut him up. Whilst his parents had always ensured him that they would love him whether or not he married a Pureblood girl, Lucius had been very clear that he would have it no other way. Astoria and Narcissa exchanged a glance, before looking down at the table once again.

"T-This isn't fair," Scorpius said, cringing inwardly as his voice quivered. His entire body was shaking, and he felt his mother put a reassuring arm around her son's shoulders, holding him against her. "Lucius, please," she pleaded. "Can't we make an exception? He is clearly distressed; give him until he's thirty. Loads of wizards his age are putting their careers first and marrying a lot later and… please, Lucius."

Scorpius looked over at his grandparents on the other side of the table; he could see the thoughtful look on his Grandmother Narcissa's face, she was definitely considering it, but his Grandfather looked furious. "No we can't Astoria. Which is why we've taken matters into our own hands… we've arranged a marriage ourselves."

"What?! Scorpius, we had no idea –"  
"Father you must be joking."

Scorpius felt his entire body freeze in shock at his grandfather's words; though he'd been aware of several family friends being forced into arranged marriages straight after graduation, it had never even crossed his mind that he could one day meet the same fate. Marrying a total stranger? Marrying someone he wasn't even in love with?

"You can't do that," he said coldly, his fists clenching by his sides. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, boy," Lucius snarled. "I can and I will. As patriarch of the Malfoys, I control the distribution of family wealth. It has _always_ been that way. Which means, if you do not agree to marry this girl and do not get married by your twenty-fifth birthday, you will not be getting your inheritance. And you will have to be disowned."

His mother tightened her grip around his body, and suddenly all Scorpius wanted to do was have her protect him from his grandparents, the same way she had when he was a child. "When is the wedding?" he heard his mother ask, and he waited with bated breath for the answer. He was twenty-five at the end of April, eight months away.

"Six months," Narcissa said so softly Scorpius thought he'd imagined her saying it. Six months. Twenty-six weeks. One hundred and eighty-two days. Four thousand three hundred and eighty hours before he would have to marry a complete stranger.

Scorpius pushed himself away from the table, standing up and Apparating away before anyone could stop him.

Astoria burst into tears, letting her face fall into her hands as she thought of how furious Scorpius must be with all of them. She would have told him, had she known Lucius was going to arrange a marriage for him. Her marriage to Draco hadn't been orchestrated at all, and she'd always wanted the same for her son. To find true love and spend the rest of his life with that person.

Narcissa excused herself from the table, trying to ignore the overwhelming guilt she felt at the sight of her furious grandson and heartbroken daughter-in-law. Malfoys weren't meant to demonstrate extremes of emotion, nor were they supposed to wait so late in their lives before settling down. Though Lucius had spent months convincing her that this was for the best, she couldn't shake the sick feeling in her stomach.

"I think that went quite well," Lucius said sarcastically, downing the rest of the scotch in his glass and reaching for another as Draco groaned, hitting his head on the mahogany table.


End file.
